2013 ACC Football Predictions and Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/16/2013

The Atlantic Coast Conference used to be a pretty respectable league. Now they are nothing more than the SEC’s half-witted cousin. There is a load of top-flight individual talent in this conference, as indicated by their NFL Draft picks and preseason awards finalists, but on the whole the ACC is one of the least predictable and least stable leagues in the country.

College Football Handicapping: the SEC is Overrated
by Robert Ferringo - 8/14/2013

Failing educational systems. Rotting infrastructure. High rates of obesity and infant mortality. Yes, the South has a lot to be proud of. But as we head toward the fall the conversations between the Secesh focuses on their one true love: Southeastern Conference football.

2013 American Athletic Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/14/2013

The Big East is no more. The generically-sounding American Athletic Conference has picked up the pieces of the shattered B-East, added in rejects from Conference USA, and thrown them together to create this Franken-fiasco of a college football conference. The league will not have a title game but was able to inherit the Big East’s automatic BCS bowl berth. Despite that, I expect this conference to be completely ignored on the national level for most of the season.

NFL Handicapping: Worst Starting Quarterbacks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/14/2013

What comes to mind when I mention the names Michael Vick, Carson Palmer, and Mark Sanchez? Is it their numerous Pro Bowl appearances? The hype and untold millions they have been showered with throughout their careers? Maybe it is the conference championship appearances and playoff games they have accounted for in their careers.

Ranking the NFL Divisions
by Robert Ferringo - 8/7/2013

I am a firm believer in the concept of relative divisional strength. The idea is that when trying to break down a matchup between two seemingly equal teams you should give greater weight to the club from the better division. And that considering a team’s division – and also their conference – can create a framework from which a bettor can gauge line value.

NFC South Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/5/2013

The NFC South may be the most competitive division in football this year. Besides the NFC North, the South is the only group in the NFL where I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the four participants rose up and won the division.

AFC South Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/2/2013

The first thing you do when handicapping a team is look at the coach and the quarterback. That gives you a baseline of the franchise and is a determinant as to how good that team should be. With that in mind, let’s do a quick rundown on what the AFC South is packing.

NFC North Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/2/2013

The NFC North was the best division in football in 2012. Teams in the North combined to go 23-17 against the rest of the league last year. Those 23 wins were tied with the NFC West for the most in the NFL, but the North was the only division to produce three teams with 10 or more wins.

AFC West Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2013

I don’t know what it is about the West Coast, but football doesn’t exactly flourish there. The NFC West had been the worst division in football over the past decade. They are attempting a revival. But in the meantime the AFC West has taken up a post as the league’s outhouse.

AFC North Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2013

Three of the four divisions in the AFC are all but decided before a single game has been played. Miami might threaten embattled New England. But no one seriously thinks they will overtake them. The same can be said for Indianapolis in the South; they could put up a good fight, but it would be a massive upset if Houston didn’t win a third straight division title.

2013 NFL Power Rankings – Preseason Edition
by Robert Ferringo - 7/31/2013

I wish I had something provocative or surprising to offer you in the way of The Best Team in Football. But it is the 49ers. San Francisco is the best team in the best conference in the game. The offseason didn’t sabotage them. Each loss to free agency or injury was replaced by a comparable part. The 49ers have the best defense and one of the best running games in the NFL.

NFC West Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/25/2013

The NFC West is being touted as one of the best divisions in football heading into the 2013 season. San Francisco and Seattle are on the short list of favorites to win the Super Bowl. St. Louis is harnessing the Power of the Moustache as Jeff Fisher lays track. And even perennial doormat Arizona, armed with a new coach and quarterback, feels that it is ready to compete in the top conference.

NFC East Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/23/2013

Remember when the NFC East was the Land of Punishment? Remember when these teams were among the toughest, most physical in the entire NFL; when yards were earned with kitten’s blood and baby’s tears, and there was absolutely no backing down between these rugged rivals?

AFC East Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/23/2013

So what did I miss? The AFC East had quite the offseason. The Bills made a surprise move to grab a new head coach and are starting their 83rd rebuild in the last 10 years. (The Flutie Curse lives!) The Jets spent the last few months continuing their traveling circus. Miami was a major player in free agency, with several big signings, not at all looking like a desperate attempt to stay relevant in South Beach.

NFL Handicapping: Analyzing New AFC Defensive Coordinators
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

While most of the football-loving world keeps its focus on just the head coaching changes throughout the NFL, coordinators often go unnoticed except by fans of respective teams or football insiders. However, understanding the shifting schemes and systems that dictate the action on the field is a vital part of becoming a top NFL handicapper.

NFL Handicapping: Analyzing New NFC Defensive Coordinators
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

As NFL offenses continue to evolve and incorporate more passing and more read-option facets, NFL defensive coordinators are tasked with keeping up. Eleven defensive coordinator positions – over one-third of the entire league – changed hands during the offseason. And how defenses respond to their new schemes, systems and leaders will go a long way in determining how their teams may fair this season.

NFL Handicapping: Rob Ryan Is Actually Terrible At His Job
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

And just like all those teams – the Lions, the 49ers, the Bears – late in Mike Martz’s career that got sucked into believing the hype of Mad Martz over the actual production, it is only a matter of time before Reality hits the Saints like an unblocked blindside blitzer and that Rob Ryan is exposed as the fraud that he is.

NFL Handicapping: Ranking The New NFL Head Coaches
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

That also means that a full one-quarter of all pro football teams will be led by new taskmasters as training camps open at the end of this month. While that seems like an excessive amount of coaching turnover it is actually pretty average for what has become a churn-and-burn league.

NFL Handicapping: Chip Kelly, Eagles Headed For A Rough Season
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

I don’t care about the weird drama and maneuvering around Kelly’s hiring. I don’t care that better college coaches have flamed out in the pros. I don’t care that Kelly has zero NFL experience. I don’t care that he’s never worked through anything like the pressure cooker of Philadelphia fans and media. I don’t even care that Kelly inherits a team ill equipped to run his systems or that he spent the entire offseason building negative karma while fighting those players.

NFL Handicapping: New Offensive Coordinator Breakdown, Part 1
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

In the NFL, Norv Turner is the embodiment of the Peter Principal. Turner really is an amazing offensive coach. He was behind some of the best attacks of all-time. But as a head coach Norv Turner was a complete and total loser.